Support the Pledge of Allegiance

Sign the petition to Support the Pledge of Allegiance

As a concerned citizen, I am signing this petition to express my support for the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance and my outrage at efforts to ban the Pledge from public schools. The Pledge is a vital reminder of our nation's heritage and a strong support for the values that make our nation great. I oppose any efforts through the courts or the legislature to ban the Pledge.

MyFamily.com Acquires Heritage Makers LLC

MyFamily.com, Inc. announced today that it has acquired Heritage Makers LLC. MyFamily.com is best known for it's Ancestry.com and MyFamily.com websites - providing genealogy, online family history research, and millions of family history records. Heritage Makers is a Springville, Utah company which assists in discovering, preserving and celebrating family history through direct selling with more than 1,200 independent consultants.

Read the MyFamily.com press release for more details.

BYU's MBA Among Top Programs

Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Management has ranked 6th in top business schools around the world for 2005. In 2004 BYU ranked 5th. This year BYU came in behind Purdue University, Michigan State University, Ohio State University, Thunderbird, and IPADE in the Regional Ranking by the Wall Street Journal.

Authors Sue Google for Copyright Infringement

Well it looks like Google's plan to digitize books and make them accessible for internet users has hit yet another snag. The Author's Guild, a New York-based non-profit organization, including over 8,000 authors, has brought a class-action suit against the search engine giant. The Author's Guild seeks to keep Google from scanning any copyrighted books without express permission from the authors.

Google issued a statement about the suit: "We regret that this group has chosen litigation to try to stop a program that will make books and the information within them more discoverable to the world."

For more information see: Yahoo News

Company Blog Success Stories - Case Studies

I'm looking for case studies on how blogging has been beneficial to companies. I need quantifiable data -- whether it be a raise in revenue, an increase in traffic, or more customers -- some way of showing that blogging has been successful. If you know of any companies or case studies on blogging success stories, please comment and let me know.

Thanks

Google Moves Forward with Print Library Project

Flauting conventional copyright laws, Google is continuing with their Print Library Project. The plan is to scan all of the books in publication and make them available for full-text searching online. You may ask, "How can they do that?" Well, the theory is that although the full text will be searchable, you will only be able to access a few pages of text at a time, therefore it will get you some information but may encourage you to purchase the book for the full-text. Google feels it will be of benefit to end-users (of course), and to publishers and authors as well.

Not everyone feels the same and some publishers tried to legally stop Google from their plans. It will be interesting to see the outcome of this project. I think it's a great idea and will benefit everyone if it is done correctly.

For more information see: Yahoo News

Being Prepared - Emergency Preparedness

In the past several weeks I have been reflecting on counsel given by my Church to have a year's supply of food, and emergency supplies on hand. I believe this is inspired counsel, especially seeing how much a natural disaster can completely devastate a whole area. Food storage in New Orleans may have helped some of the victims (at least those whose homes were not completely destroyed), but with a disaster of that magnitude it may have been helpful to have a 72-hour kit. A 72-hour kit is something usually stored in a backpack that is quickly grabbed, containing first aid supplies, food and water for 3 days, a change of clothing and a few other necessary supplies.

If you are interested in emergency preparedness and food storage, there is a great resource at Provident Living. You can find lists of the types of food you should store, how to store the food, where you can get food storage and the amounts of food and water that you should have depending on your family size. There is also a list of emergency supplies that would be beneficial to have on hand.

Anyway, I think it would benefit all of us to think about how we can be prepared in case of disaster. Maybe it is starting out small with knowledge and a plan -- such as where to turn off the gas in your home, how to get out in case of a fire, or if you were separated from family members where would you meet (have several options in case some places are not accessible).

"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30).

Buying a House? Selling? Moving?

Buying? Selling? Or Own a Home? Learn More with Comprehensive Property Reports Now! This is a great resource for finding out information on the real estate market in your area. There is so much that can be learned. Check it out today.

Natural Cures "They Don't Want You to Know About" - by Kevin Trudeau

There is a great book called "Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You to Know About" by Kevin Trudeau. Perhaps you've seen him on many infomercials discussing health products like coral calcium, etc. I'm about 1/3 of the way through the book and have really enjoyed reading it. It makes you think a lot about what we are putting into our bodies (sometimes not understanding what is actually in the product and what it may do to our health.)

I've had major chronic pain from a back injury this spring, so I've been trying to find any alternatives to start functioning again. I'm at about 20% and the pain keeps me from being able to do most of the things I want to do -- plus adding extra weight since I cannot move much and have not been able to get to the gym at all. I came across this book and I'm determined to follow as much as I can. I believe there are many things we can do which will allow us greater health if we will try to learn with an open mind and be willing to actually follow what we learn.

You are the only one who can change your life. I am the only one who can change my life -- it's just a matter of taking action.

Anyway, the book sells for about $30, but I found it on Amazon.com for $17 -- great price. It's worth the investment!

TV Using Blogs to Promote Programs

Television networks have turned to advertising online for promoting new programming. Online advertising is inexpensive and ads are designed to target groups who are potential viewers. VH1, TBS, PBS and others have advertised using the BlogAds ad network. There is a high return on a small investment. It might cost $5,000 for a premium ad spot, but can potentially bring in millions of users. It will be interesting to see how quickly other networks start using blog advertising. I'm sure as the demand for ad space goes up, the pricing structure will also increase dramatically.

FBI Warns about Fake Hurricane Katrina Websites

The FBI has estimated that 60 of the 4,000 websites which claim to offer relief for Hurricane Katrina victims are bogus. Most are hosted over seas and are collecting money illegally. Some even pretend to be the Red Cross or associated with the Red Cross. Some sites have been shut down, but many are still operating. There are even phishers (sending emails which look offical, coming from an actual charity, that lead you to websites which also look official, but are actually collecting personal financial information and money for themselves and are not associated with real charities).

The best protection is to not click on links to go to charity websites -- but to type the charity name into your web browser -- such as www.redcross.org. If you want to help go directly to the Salvation Army, the Red Cross or your local government agencies and donate, that way you can be sure your donation is actually going to assist those who are in need.

Adware Company Sued

It looks like 80solutions, an adware company, is being sued. They are accused of distributing software using deceptive methods and then not allowing users to remove the software from their computers. All I can say is "It's about time!" I believe there are enough ways to generate traffic to your site -- of people who actually want to buy your products, rather than resorting to tactics that many adware companies use. I'll be anxious to see the outcome of this suit.

Online Video Searching

Imagine being able to search for video content online. Well, imagine no more. Truveo, a California company has just launched their beta video search engine. It analyzes the visual aspects of web pages, not just text. Their Visual Crawler has been able to index more content that previous video search engines provided by Google or Yahoo. Check it out at Truveo.com.

MSN and AOL Discuss Merger

It looks like Microsoft is discussing purchase of AOL (America Online) which would then be merged into MSN. The New York Post reported on the proposed merge which would create another huge online media giant. It seems to me that Microsoft is trying to keep up with Google however they can.

Yahoo Searches While You Type

Yahoo! has introduced their new searching feature Yahoo! Instant Search -- which actually begins searching while you type in your search terms. It is designed to save time, but it likely will be only a few seconds here and there. The search engine anticipates what you want to search as you type.

For example: If I am searching for Scrapbooking -- as I type in "sc" it pulls up financial information for (SC), then I continue and "scrap" pulls up scrap.org, etc. I have not used it to see the benefits yet and there seem to be very limited results, however it possibly could be useful as it progresses.

Google Adds Blog Search

Google has now launched its beta version of Google Blog Search. Now competing with Technorati and Feedster, Google is the first major search engine to provide searching for blogs and feeds. Check it out at google.com/blogsearch or blogsearch.google.com or search.blogger.com. It looks like a great service.

Housing for Hurricane Katrina Victims

There is a great resource for those who have been displaced because of Hurricane Katrina called KatrinaHousing.org. This non-profit organization has over 150,000 beds available for hurricane victims and has already placed almost 5,000 people.

They are in need of volunteers for telephones and answering email requests. If you have any interest in helping, please contact them

Google Hires Internet Veteran

Google is the company to watch right now. They are hiring leading industry experts from companies all over the world. Vinton Cerf, Google's latest hire comes from MCI and is considered one of the founders of the internet. It will be very fun to see what Google comes up with next - I expect great things with the team of people they have created.

Internet Pioneer Vinton Cerf Joins Google

Learning Internet Marketing

Two of the best resources to learn about internet marketing and the status of the industry are Marketing Sherpa and MarketingVOX. They both offer free email newsletters. Stay up-to-date and make sure you sign up for their marketing case studies and news.